


These Shadows That Bind Us

by Aya_Diefair



Series: Crossovers [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adult Attacking a Child, Autistic Harry Potter, Autistic Tony Stark, Blossoming Frost Iron, Gen, M/M, Major Character Death (they get better), Master of Death Harry Potter, Separation Anxiety, Unintended Child Endangerment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23669749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aya_Diefair/pseuds/Aya_Diefair
Summary: "Time is not relative where you were, young one," a velvety voice chimed in. The only problem was Harry didn't know where he went, why he was being called Master, and what did Loki have anything to do with it. - — Part of the What Dreams Become Series
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Series: Crossovers [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1657561
Comments: 6
Kudos: 114
Collections: MC4A Year 3, Monthly Challenges for All





	These Shadows That Bind Us

**Author's Note:**

> **Competition/Challenge Block:**  
>  **Written for/Stacked with:** Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Term 12); Monthly Challenges for All (Year 3); Quidditch Reserve League  
>  **House/Role:** Ravenclaw; Prefect (Hogwarts)  
>  **Term (Assignment):** Term 12 - Assignment 8  
>  **Subject (Task):** Herbology Task #3 (Write about trying to get rid of something (or someone) bad.)  
>  **Other Hogwarts Challenges:** IPC: [01.] (Word - Indulge); 365: [21. - Background); Spring Writing Club; Spring Seasonal; Funfair; Say It With Flowers; Fortnightly; Dragon Breeding Club; April FFWM  
>  **Other MC4A Challenges:** Spring Bingo (Sheep/Lamb); Trope Bingo (Back from the Dead); Chimera Creator (Tropes & Themes - Protection / Actions - Shouting/Yelling / Colours - Ebony); Shipping Wars (Fusion!AU); Link Maker (Same Bingo Card); Scavenger Hunt (Spring Setting - New York City (Any Borough); IC&SE 2020  
>  **Representation:** Master of Death Harry Potter; Nonbinary Loki; Autistic Harry Potter; Autistic Tony Stark; Frost Iron  
>  **Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges:** Found Family; Nontraditional; Machismo; Chorus (Odd Feathers; Pear-Shaped) Demo (Corvid Brain; Shiver & Shake; Where Angels Fear); Demo (A Long Dog; Creature Feature; In The Trench)  
>  **Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges:** Toad (T3); Intercept (SN)
> 
>  **Word Count:** 3,670 words (per Google Docs)  
>  **Beta(s):** Jetainia; hannahsoapy
> 
> \-----------------------
> 
>  **Legal Disclaimer:** My work is my own creative intelligence and property, but I do not own the original source material it stems from (I wouldn't be writing fanfiction if it was). The opinions and interpretations of characters reflected in my stories may not follow what is portrayed from the source material. Please don't sue me, I'm a stay at home mom.

* * *

**These Shadows That Bind Us**

Harry didn't like it when his dad had to leave him behind when it came to meetings and other important arrangements not appropriate for a nine-year-old child to be present at, but this time he had been left behind because of the Avengers Initiative. He knew his dad's opinion about it was largely negative, but Harry wasn't a fan of them either for a multitude of his own reasons. Their recruiting tactics were quite invasive for one thing as Agent Coulson openly demonstrated at Stark Tower, successfully cutting their celebration for being able to make the building fully operate on ARC power short. It was a huge success for SI and for his dad, and as much as Harry loved the fact that he never put work above him—going so far as involving him in it, even—whatever this Agent of SHIELD brought to the table was serious enough to convince Tony to join them.

Regardless of this decision, it didn't stop Harry from reading the material that was given to his father; whether his dad approved or not, Harry had to know what he was potentially getting himself into. Apparently there was an otherworldly threat looming over them that required Tony's services as Iron Man, and he couldn't help but feel like it was somehow SHIELD's fault for tampering with something they didn't understand—something they conveniently left out. Though Harry had Happy to watch over him in Tony's brief absence, he still couldn't help but worry about Tony getting tangled up with them in the first place.

At least he got to remain in New York at Stark Tower while the threat was being handled in Germany. JARVIS kept him informed of Tony's location and offered vague status updates on what he was doing throughout the evening until it got to the point where exhaustion took over. Still he was able to call his dad to say goodnight before falling into a restless sleep.

The following day felt incredibly slow for Harry. He waited as patiently as he could for his father to come back; it should've been hours ago, he felt, but as each hour ticked by and JARVIS offering little comfort on the matter, it was causing him to get very anxious. The once fairly dormant shadows stirred awake in his peripherals when his anxiety started to spike, and since he had nothing better to do, he started to notice that something wasn't quite right. He didn't like it, but tried to keep himself occupied with what he put on the telly, still not quite used to being able to choose what to watch even though it had been months since Tony was able to finalize the adoption and usurping the Dursleys hold over him for good.

Despite the distraction, odd ticking sounds pulled Harry's attention away, and he soon found himself on high alert because of it. They definitely weren't similar to any of the other white noises he'd already learned from the building, which meant that the odd ticking was something new and foreign.

"Something is wrong," he finally said, taking several minutes listening and trying to assess what might be making the noise. He turned to Happy who was half-dozing in a nearby chair. "Happy? Do you hear it?"

Drawing his attention, Happy straightened his posture and listened to the quiet for a moment. When a distant but strange _clank_ was heard, he was on his feet and moving toward one of the offices.

"Stay here. I'll check it out," he said before disappearing behind the door.

"What's going on, JARVIS?" Harry inquired, getting to his feet to follow Happy into the other room.

The strange noises that came from the rooftop were suddenly more frequent now, sending Harry into a panic. There shouldn't be anyone allowed in the tower without security clearance; Pepper had already left for a meeting in DC with her new assistant and security, which meant whatever or whoever was making such a racket right now didn't belong. But what was even more concerning was that JARVIS was not responding.

Happy was in the process of investigating any breaches through the computer when Harry slipped out towards the elevator room to check for himself. Something was very wrong, and his foolish, habitual attempt to ignore the warning signs the jerking shadows were trying to signal to him of danger was something he would need to learn to stop doing. He wasn't with the Dursleys anymore where he was forced to ignore their constant jarring movements otherwise. Whatever was causing the strange sounds was not going to be because of a simple break-in. If it was something as mediocre as that, JARVIS would've notified them immediately.

The thought had Harry wonder why JARVIS hadn't said anything to them at all for a good while now, nor did he reply to him when he asked a question a couple minutes ago. As he stepped into the elevator and hit the top floor button, he called to JARVIS again once the door closed.

"What is happening, JARVIS?"

Silence.

"Report?"

The AI wasn't responding, making the hairs on Harry's neck rise at how wrong that was. This spiked his anxiety even more about the entire situation and eager shadows swished around him in the small space. The lights flickered some, but Harry wasn't worried about that right now. If someone in the building could break in and disable JARVIS without warning, it meant this threat was dangerous, and he was walking right into it at this very moment. The elevator pinged and opened the doors to the large common space that occupied the top floor, and what Harry witnessed had him blindly trigger a response he hadn't fully experienced before now.

The shadows were pulled from every direction, seeming to leap for him as Harry took in the scene unfolding before him. Pooling at his feet, the darkness lapped up his ankles like ebony silk.

There was someone dressed in ornate gold and green trimmed robes brandishing an intricate-looking staff that glowed at its claw-shaped mouth. It was pointing at Tony as if trying to do something to him, but before it could do whatever that something was, Harry shouted in a deep, harrowing tone that he didn't know he was capable of.

"Get away from him!"

His menacing yell startled the intruder and pulled the attention of both them and Tony to Harry. The shadows quickly wove up his legs, torso, and arms, engulfing his small body in wispy darkness. All Harry could see was the horned stranger now moving toward him with a gracefulness that matched the look of shock and awe on their face. They said something but Harry didn't hear it, all he saw was a threat, and before he knew what was happening, the ebony essence that wrapped around him struck out at the trespasser. Another long blanket-like arm barred Tony from the danger while the majority were focused on subduing the intruder.

They were strong, whoever it was, and they also could teleport, catching him off guard when they pushed back the darkness that enveloped them and suddenly reappeared beside Harry, thrusting the glowing staff at his chest. Harry was completely stunned at its touch; whatever that thing was supposed to do, it set the shadows into a different frenzy. He felt faint, his vision starting to blot out as the darkness now fully engulfed him and his very being. The last thing he saw was the threat now pressed to the floor by his own hand—or at least he thought it was his own hand—and their figure slowly sank into the ebony pool Harry noticed was dripping from him before he completely blacked out.

* * *

Whispers were the first thing he started to hear in the inky darkness that had swallowed him. They were incoherent at first, but as Harry came to, or believed he did anyway, everything was still so dark and cold. He could hear whispered words of encouragement for someone they called their master all around him emitting from the darkness. If they were referring to him, he was utterly confused. He was no master.

"Hello?"

Despite it being impossibly dark, Harry could make out the fluid movements of something in the shadows. It was like an ink pool that was disturbed by a drop of water, and as he focused on the area that moved, he noticed that the color started to grey around him as a shape took form, sucking the looming darkness away. It felt strangely familiar to him, like a comfort he'd experienced several times before but couldn't quite pinpoint as to when or why.

"Master, I commend your strength and loyalty, yet control must be maintained." The voice was feminine, but not. It was like a whisper that would send chills down one's spine but was intended to be reassuring at the same time.

The form fully manifested now in flowing robes made of ebony scraps of material but which moved like water. There were no other features aside from this.

"I-I'm sorry?"

"This is not your first Death. It will not be your last," the form assured, waving what might have been a hand in front of them. "And yet they always happen in order to protect and defend. I have liked you from the moment I met you. You will be a good Master."

" _Death?"_ Harry choked out, not able to fathom actually dying.

Harry swallowed, risking a look around the dull shade of grey that blanketed them. Glancing at his hand, he saw that he still bore the same shadowy wisps coming off his dark skin like they had been when he was awake—or alive. He looked back at the figure in front of him, the cold air capturing his breath as he spoke.

"I do not understand. I'm _dead?_ "

"No," it said, "You will know in time, Master."

He was utterly lost and confused at this point, not sure what to make of this strange dream. Again, it felt oddly familiar, as if he had the very same dream several times before, but something about this one made the rest make sense…but didn't at the same time. Abruptly, he was reminded of the danger his father was in that he'd left behind. Panic started to settle in him again.

"I need to go back. My father is in trouble," Harry said with what little courage he gathered to command the entity, "I need to go back! Take me back!"

"Your father is safe. The threat has ceased to be one since they saw you."

He tilted his head slightly. "What do you mean? Who is it? Do you know?"

The ebony fabric moved as if to nod, shifting what Harry assumed were its heavily draped arms in front of them as they spoke.

"Loki Odinson of Asgard. They understand what gift you possess now, and will swear an oath to you and your father once you wake. I assure you, they will be a valuable addition to your family," the figure explained.

"Loki… You don't mean the Norse god of mischief?" Harry questioned, taken aback by the revelation as the shadow nodded. "You know, in the stories Loki isn't an actual Asgardian. They're an Ice Giant and the child of Laufey, King of Jotunheim. They were kidnapped as an infant to punish Laufey for his crimes and to assure no heir to Jotunheim could reign."

Harry didn't know why this bout of information exploded from him now of all times, but he felt the need to divulge it anyway. "Some say Odin intended to kill the child, but Frigga forbade him, claiming he would be no better than Laufey if he took the life of an innocent, so they raised him as their own—allegedly anyway."

"You are very knowledgeable, Master," the entity praised. "They will be especially taken with you should you indulge them with your intelligence."

"I do a lot of mythology reading... It's a hobby." Harry shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Loki attacked my father, there is no way I would trust them regardless of what you say…" Harry trailed off again, lost in thought. "I don't even know why I should trust you, either."

"I am your Watcher, young Master," they revealed, however it left Harry more puzzled than before. "One of your Three. I Oversee all of the universe's death. I can Watch those who reap death often. Asgard has been Watched long before your time, young Master, and so I've Watched Loki."

"And what are the other two?" Harry asked.

"Your Reaper and Guardian abandoned you during your Rebirth." The figure shifted some, its movement seeming almost ominous, as if to reinforce their seething words. "They will pay their dues when you are fully Awakened."

"I don't—"

"You will learn of your birthright soon," they interrupted, "for you've been partially Awakened early because of your life's circumstances, yet you still lack the ability to handle what you've been destined for. Loki is a valuable key I advise you to consider utilizing. I would never ask you to spare someone who would harm you. You have endured enough pain and betrayal in life, I would never do the same in your Death."

Harry wanted to understand, he needed to know why this dark figure kept referring to him as master. "Please tell me what I'm supposed to be. What this all means… Please. Why do you call me master? Why does this place feel so familiar?"

The figure was quiet for what felt like an eternity. Even its ever-moving shadowy presence ceased their motions. After Harry patiently gazed at the being in front of him, it finally spoke in a haunting voice again.

"Long ago you were born from War. A fate was determined by others, though Prophets will never control you, they controlled others who condemned everything they knew," it said, the shadows billowing even more now that it slowly approached Harry. He was strangely unafraid by it. "War was what caused you to Rebirth, recreating the Universe that is known today. You were yet again born during War, and though you were so young, a Prophecy damaged you and your family, seeming to be a sign nothing had changed from before. Yet you managed to vanquish the threat that had caused so much death as you have done so yet again, showing you are capable of containing what once destroyed you.

"You are the Master of Death, destined to control the delicate balance of the Universe. But you must first learn. Learn and grow. Only then will you be able to truly Awaken and restore what has been stolen from you."

"And what is that?"

The figure now stood close, towering over Harry, but he wasn't afraid. He gazed up at where a face would normally be, not allowing the nothingness to deter him.

"In time the Three will reunite and the Six will remain scattered and safe as they should be. But for now, you must return."

Harry could feel the darkness pushing him back now. A draped arm was pressing hard against his chest. When he looked down, he saw that he was absorbing the being, and as the figure and dull surroundings started to dissipate, his senses heightened drastically. A burning sensation exploded from the point of contact but he couldn't scream out in pain. The tearing sound of what felt like fabric and flesh deafened him, and his vision was blinded by the sudden brightness all around him.

Then it was gone, replaced with a gentle softness underneath him. There was warmth, comfort, and an overwhelming sense of love and dedication radiating all around him. It felt nice and inviting. Harry risked clutching a hand tight, something he always seemed to do after a bad dream. He felt the softness of a blanket curling in his fingers; it was as soft as the fluff of a merino lamb and one of his favourite blankets to cuddle up with.

It was only with this reassuring physical grounding that he risked blinking his eyes open. The white ceiling of the room was dim, but nothing like the dull grey background of where he had been. A dark motion caught the corner of his eye and he turned his head slightly to bring it into his line of sight. Its sharp black blades almost made him jump up from—he wasn't sure what, before he fully realized it was just a ceiling fan lazily turning. Not having his glasses on didn't help, either.

"Oh, thank all the gods and everything in-between."

The familiar voice had Harry shifting upward so he could prop up on his elbows before his father immediately embraced him. The cool outline of the ARC chamber pressing against him told him he was real, he was back at home. He was safe. Returning the hug, Harry held his small arms around Tony for what felt like ages before he was gently pulled away.

"You had me worried for a minute, Sleeping Beauty," Tony said, taking his time to give Harry a good look over. "You're alright, right?"

"Y-yeah…" Harry reached up and gently touched a scabbed over gash on the side of Tony's face. The butterfly band aids were freshly changed. "You're hurt, though."

"It's nothing," Tony dismissed.

"Just a flesh wound," Harry half-whispered, prompting a slight smirk from Tony as he combed Harry's thick curly fringe back.

"How are you feeling, though?" Tony asked, concern etched in his eyes. "You're really alright?"

"I—" Harry's vibrant green eyes shifted to a new movement in the room, honing in on the one he had viciously attacked despite the blur of his eyes from the lack of having his glasses on.

Tony picked up on how still Harry went at Loki's presence, placing a hand on his upper arm to ground him and prompt him to focus back on him. "You were out for five days. A lot has been going on. One of those things being a strange…apparition that came from you whenever this one attempted to leave your side."

Hearing this threw Harry off some. The Watcher said Loki would be a vital asset to his learning and growth, but how was he able to bar them from leaving with this newfound power? Maybe he subconsciously knew, and the shadows knew losing Loki was not an option. It was a lot to take in.

"Thor has not been pleased, to say the least," Tony continued, but Harry's eyes drifted back over his shoulder to fall on Loki again. "Thankfully you somehow refused to leave because of it too because he wanted to take you to Ass-Guard otherwise."

"Asgard," Harry corrected, blinking slowly as he tried processing everything. "Five days?"

"Time is not relative where you were, Young One," a velvety voice chimed in. "I have done my best to explain to your guardian who you truly are while you were away, but I am under the impression he wishes to not believe my brother or myself on the matter until it comes from you."

Harry watched as Loki cautiously approached the bedside, pausing before he was able to fully make out their person. The time gap did explain the fresh pang of hunger echoing through his body and the sudden exhaustion washing over him. He automatically reached for his glasses on the table, wishing to fully see the one the Watcher said to trust with his own life and offer guidance to this rite of passage and proper Awakening. Given how calm the room was around him, something told him Tony already accepted Loki to some extent despite whatever was happening when he stumbled across them in the common space. Tony was holding out for Harry's verdict, and probably for some kind of reassurance that he was not actually dead, he was just…the _Master_ of it.

Once the world had become much clearer with the help of his glasses, Harry took in Loki's appearance properly. Based on what he remembered from first seeing them, nothing had really changed aside from the missing horned helmet and staff. The gold trim on their outfit glimmered when Loki shifted ever so slightly and would've otherwise gone unnoticed had he not been watching him carefully. Harry knew that movement was a subtle tick of nervousness from being openly scrutinized.

"You attacked my dad and me," Harry said flatly, but there was no hostility in his tone.

"The Merchant and I have worked out our misunderstandings," Loki explained, drifting a hand over to rest on Tony's shoulder. Harry was too fixated on Loki to notice his father physically relax at the touch. "I can only ask you to forgive my actions and understand that I was not fully operating on my own terms."

The room grew quiet as Harry pondered what little he remembered the Watcher saying. He wasn't feeling or seeing any signs of a threat around him anymore, and based on the sincerity of what Loki expressed verbally and silently, there wasn't any need to be suspicious of him. Somehow Harry knew if they tried to deceive or manipulate him in any way he'd know immediately. He would definitely be listening to the shadows moving forward.

"You're calling the shots, Harry," Tony prompted, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "What'll it be?"

Harry looked at Tony for a moment before glancing back at Loki who had moved slightly closer to the side of the bed. Their sharp features had softened despite the dim lighting, and that brought a reassuring comfort to him. Though he already knew what he was supposed to say, it all was still quite overwhelming.

His stomach decided to growl angrily again, causing him to automatically curl an arm around it with mild embarrassment and pull him from his swirling thoughts.

"Ball's still in your court, Squirt," Tony said, gently nudging Harry's arm. "After we get some food and rest in you."


End file.
